Young Leader for Justice: It’s Never Too Early
Lorena Garcia, left, and her wife, Jennifer, at their wedding.
Lorena Garcia grew up in a family of leaders. With activists and volunteers for parents, she followed in their footsteps by becoming a leader in her own right. Dedicating her life to women’s rights advocacy both professionally and personally, the 27-year-old has made up her mind about right and wrong – and inspires other women to take a stand for justice.
Lorena was born and raised in Boulder County. Her mother, a teacher’s union representative, spent her time organizing meetings and standing on picket lines. Her father led the Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition. Taught never to give up, Lorena has learned much from these role models, and from the person who caught Lorena’s attention at the age of 6: her “madrina,” a wise Latina who has faced much adversity to break down social barriers.
Surrounded by a loving family and constant encouragement, Lorena’s happiest life moment has been the wedding to her partner, Jennifer. “All of my brothers and sisters, and my Spanish-speaking family from Mexico, were so excited to share in the experience and witness our life commitment. Our queerness was not an issue,” she says.
Today Lorena puts her values about equality and fairness to work through her job at 9to5 National Association for Women, where she is Colorado director. Her work is about empowering women to advocate on issues related to equal pay, equal opportunity, and nondiscrimination. She is co-chair of the Colorado Women’s Lobby, a board member of Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, and a volunteer in her dad’s organization.
Most of Lorena’s work focuses on women’s organizations because, “Women are everywhere. Every issue affects women – from poverty and poor education, to discrimination against immigrants and lesbians and gay men. These are issues I care deeply about, and as a women’s rights activist I can have an impact.”
One would think that for Lorena, life is all work and no play. But like many Coloradans, she’ll do anything that makes her happy. She loves Colorado’s four seasons, taking advantage of summer camping and wakeboarding and winter snowboarding. With a passion for trying new things, she participated in her first triathlon in 2009. And she enjoys life’s simple pleasures, like hanging out on her patio with her dog.
Lorena’s hopes for Colorado’s future relate to progressive change that “involves all of our brothers and sisters.” She’d like to see the wealth divide close, equal opportunity expand, gay marriage passed, and racial and gender inequalities come to an end.
Lorena sees a leadership role for herself and other young people in all of these areas. She encourages younger generations to start thinking about what they want to accomplish in life – then lead these things, rather than follow. “I want to say to people: it’s never too early.”